Dover offers several distinct perspectives on a stay: the public riverfront along the Cochecho River, an observation tower with far-reaching views on clear days, historic attractions in the city and nature trails. If you’re traveling with children, the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire has interactive exhibits. For time outdoors, you can choose from the urban trail, gardens and nearby natural areas.
Riverfront and Downtown
Nebi Park is a public riverfront park on the Cochecho River in downtown Dover. It opened in July 2026. Landscaped promenades, gathering spots, seating areas and river access define the park; it also has a pavilion for community events, recreation, dining and boating activities. If you have a specific use in mind, check the park’s current operating information.
The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is located in Henry Law Park downtown. The museum spans two floors and offers specially designed interactive exhibits for children from toddler age through middle school. Activities include excavating dinosaur fossils, making music, piloting a space shuttle and navigating a submarine. Individual exhibits may change; checking the current offerings can help with planning.
A kombucha break is another downtown option: Auspicious Brew is a woman-owned business that brews kombucha and serves it by the glass, as a flight and in growlers. Check opening hours before your visit.
History and Views
Garrison Hill Tower stands in Garrison Hill Park. The current steel observation tower is 76 feet tall and was built in 1993. On a clear day, its 360-degree view extends to the White Mountains, the Maine coast and Portsmouth Harbor. The historic site has been home to various observation structures since the 17th century. At Garrison Hill, the present-day tower meets a longer history as a lookout point.
“Faces of Dover” is a self-guided historical experience featuring photo markers and explanatory signs placed throughout the city. The markers are usually displayed from late April to mid-November. If this experience suits your visit, that timeframe is a useful guide when planning your dates.
Trails and Green Spaces in Dover
The urban section of the Dover Community Trail connects downtown—with an entrance at the Transportation Center—to the Dover Middle School and Dover High School campuses and Bellamy Park. It is suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. For much of its length, the trail follows a former railroad bed. Planned rural extensions are intended to provide public access to protected green corridors along the Cochecho River and Bellamy River. Where these extensions follow the rivers, they are intended to offer opportunities for cycling, hiking, birdwatching and fishing.
The Joe B. Parks Riverwalk Public Gardens opened in 2008. Its themed areas include wildflowers, rhododendrons, hostas, mountain laurel, daylilies and other plants; the gardens invite visitors to stroll and linger and are connected to Dover’s natural heritage. Unlike the landscaped planting areas, the two loop trails at Bellamy Preserve, also known as Bellamy River Wildlife Sanctuary, pass through forests, tidal creeks and salt marshes. Together, the trails are about 1.5 miles long.
For paddling, there is Cochecho River Recreation, a business founded by Paul and Maya Halthore-Kelley that serves people in Dover. It offers kayak and canoe rentals, personal boat storage and introductory safe-paddling courses. Check operating details before making specific plans.
Nearby Nature Destinations
If you’d also like to visit places between towns, Willand Pond Recreation Area lies between Dover and Somersworth. It features a 66-acre pond surrounded by wooded trails suitable for walking, fishing and wildlife watching. For a different landscape, visit Bellamy River Wildlife Management Area, a 400-acre natural area on the west bank of the Bellamy River between Dover and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its trail network is suitable for hiking, cross-country skiing and wildlife watching. The two areas offer different highlights: the pond and wooded trails at Willand Pond, and the riverfront and trail network at Bellamy River.
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